Day 28 – Psalm 110 – Jesus Reigns

I. Read Psalm 110.

A Psalm of David.

The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
²The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
³Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Yourpower;
In holy array, from the womb of the dawn,
Your youth are to You as the dew.

⁴The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
⁵The Lord is at Your right hand;
He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.
⁶He will judge among the nations,
He will fill them with corpses,
He will shatter the chief men over a broad country.
⁷He will drink from the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He will lift up His head.

Introduction –The first verse of Psalm 110 is directly quoted or referred to at least 21 times in the New Testament—more than any other Hebrew Scripture verse. Including references to the later verses of the psalm in Hebrews (Heb. 5:6, 7:17, 7:21, 5:10, 6:20, 7:11, 7:15), it is cited at least 28 times in the New Testament. Why so? Because the Apostles concluded that this psalm was the direct fulfillment of the Ascension of Jesus. For example, on the Day of Pentecost Peter preached: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool'” (Acts 2:32–35). Paul wrote, “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death” (1Cor. 15:25-26). This means that Jesus is reigning from the right hand of the Father. He will subdue all of His enemies and then will come the Resurrection at the end of history. In the mean time the Kingdom advances as people “volunteer freely in the day of Your power” through the grace offered in the gospel. There are so many, His “youth” are like counting the drops of “dew” on the grass. This King is a priest like Melchizedek who gives bread and wine. The language about shattering kings and corpses is simply the picture of overwhelming victory (vv 5-6, e.g., all His enemies under His feet). But there is another allusion in the final verse to the way He wins the battle. “He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head.” This is an allusion to the 300 men chosen by Gideon who drank standing from their hands (rather than kneeling) (Jdg. 8). He only selected 300 because God wanted to show His power, rather than letting the victory be due to a large army (Jdg. 7:2). So it is with Christ’s reign and His victory through the gospel. It is not through the might and power of men that Christ’s enemies fall and the kingdom advances.

Reflect on this psalm by answering these questions in your own words.

From your knowledge of Christian history, what are a examples of advances in the Kingdom Reign of Jesus (from the Ascension until now)?
The last enemy to be overthrown at the Resurrection is death. Name a few current “enemies” (ideologies, practices, powers) of Christ in the world?
If Christ is now reigning as a Priestly King with assured victory, how should this affect your attitude in daily life as you face challenges?
Christ is ruling, but He accomplishes His victories (often) along side His people (e.g., 300 of Gideon). What are some battles that God may be calling you to? Are there areas of darkness in the world, sinfulness, “kingdom enemies” in which God desires your service in His army?

II. Pray Psalm 110. Using the main ideas of Psalm 110, write a prayer.

III. Sing Psalm 110. Use the musical resources below to sing Psalm 110.